Needle-controlling mechanism.



E. U. AMES.

NEEDLE CONTROLLING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED 06115. 19x4.

1.19,88&. Patented Aug. 10,

s'raans PATENT ornicn ELMER U. AMES, 0]? PHILADELPHTA, PE NNSYL'VANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 H. BRINTON COMPANY, QFPI-IILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

NEEDLE-CONTROLLING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

' Application filed October 15, 1914. Serial no. 866,821.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ELMER U. AMES, a

citizen of the -United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Needle-Controlling Mechanism, of which the. following 1811,

will retain the needles in their proper course during the knitting operation and thereby avoid injury to said machine.

Another ob ect of said invention is to so construct a fine gage knitting machine including the above mentioned mechanism, that the needles while under the stitch cams will be-kept under control and will thereby be preyented from losing their stitches. These objects and other advantageous ends I attain as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a sectional plan of part of a knitting machine equipped with my invention; Fig. '2 is a development of certain elements of a knitting mechanism"including my invention; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing certain of the parts in other positions; Fig. l is a perspective view of my invention; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary end elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line aa, Fig. 4.

"In the above drawings, 1 have shown a needle cylinder 1 grooved at 2 for the reception of the needles and so mounted as to be capable of reciprocation as indicated by the double headed arrow Fig. l. A ring 3 partially surrounds the cylinder 1 and frictionally engages the same so as to be moved with it. The desired-friction between the rin and cylinder may be obtained either by ma ring the inside diameter of the ring smaller than the outside diameter of the cylinder and then on the latter or it may be caused by some means external to the ring.-

The ends 4 and5 of the ring 3 are inclined away from each other and the space between them provides room for the stitch cams 6 and 7, an upper center cam 8 and a lower center cam 9 which constitute the principal knitting cams of the machine. In

additionthe lower portions of the ends of the ring 3 are recessed at 10 and 11 for the reception of-two cams 12 and 13 respectively, each of which has a beveled edge 1 fitting under the correspondingly overhung beveled edge 15 of said ring3. The cams l2 and 13 are each provided with alateral projection 16 having a slot 17 for the re- .ception of a screw 18 whereby it may be adj ustably secured to a supporting structure 19 (Fig. 1). By having the projections 16 integral with 12"and 13, the cam faces i and 21 may be adjusted relatively to the cam faces 6 7 of the stitch cams 6 and 7, so as to pro vide passages w and m" of the proper width to allow the needle butts to ,pass therethrough. The object ofthis construction is to maintain the width of these passages constant even though the ring 3 may be moved into and out of contact with the upper portions of said stitch cams 6 and 7 as is neces: sary for example during the reciprocating movement of the needle cylinder, it having been noted that if the needles are not kept under the control of the stitch cams for a. short time before andfafter passing under the lowest portions of the latter they are apt to vibrate and thereby lose their stitches.

In fine gage machines, even more than inv impossible forthe needles, after having been lowered by the stitch 'cams', to move out of their prescribed course, since the passages on and m are only of suflicient width. to allow or rigidly fixed to the cams springing said ring he needle butts to pass therethrough. Under operating conditions, if it be assumed that the cams 6, 7, 8 and 9 are stationary and that the cams 12 and 13 are fixed with respectto the cams 6 and 7, movement of the cylinder 1 in one direction will move the ring 3 until its cam face 5 moves away from the stitch earn 7 suiiiciently to provide an outlet passage 2 for the needles after they have passed under the stitch 1111 7. The cam surface 4; is also brought into contact with the stitch cam 6 (see Fig. '2) thus closing the passage previously existing between it and said cam. During the movement of the needle cylinde' in the opposite direction (see Fig. 8) the ring 3 is so moved that its cam face 5 is brought into contact with the stitch cam 7 to close the passage 2 above mentioned while the cam face at is moved away from the stitch cam 6 to provide an outlet passage 2 for the butts of the needles after they have passed under the stitch cam 6; (see Fig. 3). It will be not-ed that by having the faces 14: of theo'cams 12 and 13 beveled (see Fi s. etc 6) and the faces 15 of the ring 3 correspondingly overhung, the needle butts cannot possibly jam between said came 12 and 13 and the ring but will ride smoothly over the joints between these parts because the butt of each needle as it passes upwardly will have one portion in contact with the cam face of the ring 3 before another portion thereof has left the cam 12 or 13.

I claim 2- 1. The combination in a knitting machine of stitch cams; cams respectively adjacent said stitch cams and having faces cooperating therewith to form needle passages; and a ring having portions extending over said second mentioned cams and movable into and out of contact with the stitchcams to @opiea of thiapstent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

amass;

alternately provide and close passages adjacent the same.

2. The'combination in a knitting machine of stitch cams; cams mounted adjacent the lower portions of said stitch cams and cooperating therewith to form needle passages and a ring'having its ends movable into and out of contact with the stitch cams to alternately provide and close passages adjacent the same, the ends of the ring being formed to slide over the second mentioned cams.

3. The combination in a knitting machine of stitch cams; lifting cams mountedadjacent tl1e.lower portions of the stitch cams and cooperable therewith to form needle passages; and a ring having its ends movable into and out of contact with the stitch cams to alternately provide and close needle passages adjacent the same, the ends of said ring being recessed to receive said lifting cams, the adjacent edges of said parts being beveled in the same direction to provide a continuous support for the needle butts.

&. The combination in a knitting machine of stitch cams; cams respectively adjacent said stitch cams and having faces codperating therewith to form needle passages; and a member having portions the full width of the needle passages cooperating with said second mentioned cams and movable into and out of contact with the stitch cams, to

alternately provide and close needle passages.

In testimony whereof, I. have signed my name to this specification, 1n the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELMER U. AMES.

Witnesses:

AUcUsTUs B. Corrns, WM. A. BARR,

Washington, I). G. 

